Stacking dye tubes



Dec. 15,1970 5. LIVINGSTONE STACKING DYE TUBES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1969 Dec. 15, 1970 s. LWINGSTONE STACKING DYE TUBES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1969 United States Patent M 3,546,905 STACKING DYE TUBES Stanley Livingstone, Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Evadur Products, Inc., Mount Holly, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Feb. 25, 1969, Ser. No. 802,156 Int. Cl. B05c 8/02; D06f 35/00 US. Cl. 68-198 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Adapter for receiving a stack of dye tubes, each tube having end sealing surfaces and an inside diameter larger than an outside diameter of the spindle to allow effective flow of dye, the adapter comprising at least one member having a length greater than the length of a tube, a thickness slightly less than half the difference between the outside diameter of the spindle and the inside diameter of the tube, and a surface area per unit length sufficiently less than that of an imaginary cylinder coincident with the outer surface of the spindle so as not to impede the flow of dye to a degree that would be unacceptable for the dyeing process.

This invention relates to the supporting of tubes for dyeing a package of yarn wound therearound.

Objects of the invention are to provide an adapter for mounting such tubes on a perforated dyeing spindle, enabling the tubes to be easily and quickly (and even automatically) stacked, well sealed to each other without requiring separate spacers between adjacent tubes, and without overly restricting axial flow of dye between the tubes and the spindle.

In general, the invention features an adapter for a dyeing spindle arranged to receive a stack of dye tubes, each tube having end sealing surfaces and an inside diameter larger than the outside diameter of the spindle to allow effective flow of dye, the adapter comprising at least one member having a length greater than the length of a tube, a thickness slightly less than half the difference between the outside diameter of the spindle and the inside diameter of the tube, and a surface area per unit length sufiiciently less than that of an imaginary cylinder coincident with the outer surface of the spindle so as not to impede the flow of dye to a degree that would be unacceptable for the dyeing process. In preferred embodiments there are at least three wire members spaced circularly 120 from each other, each less than about A" in diameter; the wires extend between a pair of rings one of which has a diameter smaller than that of a portion of the spindle so as to support the adapter on the spindle; and the supporting ring is less than about 1.3" in diameter, the wire members having effective lengths of at least 20". In other preferred embodiments the adapter is a coil spring having at least one coil smaller in diameter than a portion of the spindle so as to support the adapter on the spindle.

Other objects, features, and advantages will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

3,546,905 Patented Dec. 15, 1970 FIG. 1 is a side view showing the adapter of the invention mounted on a dyeing spindle (shown in phantom), with a pair of dye tubes (one shown in phantom) positioned over the adapter;

FIG. 2 is a section through 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view partially in section through 3-3 of FIG. 2, with the spindle omitted.

FIG 4 is a side view of another preferred embodiment, showing an adapter mounted on a spindle.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, adapter 10 has an upper metal ring 16 less than 1.3" in diameter, arranged to fit over threaded neck 12 of perforate dyeing spindle 14 (1 pipe, 1.315" 0.1).) and be supported by the sloping top 15 of the spindle. Lower metal ring 18 (ID. just larger than 1.315") surrounds spindle 14 and is joined to ring 16 by three metal wires 20 spaced apart. Wires 20 will normally be some 56" long, depending upon the number of dye tubes 24 to be stacked, and will be at least 20 long to allow stacking of a reasonable number of tubes (each of which is close to 7" long). The outermost surfaces of wires 20 are tangent to an imaginary cylinder of diameter about 1.5625".

Dye tubes 24 are generally of the type described in US. patent application Ser. No. 629,959, filed Apr. 11, 1967 now Pat. No. 3,448,597. Each tube 24 has an upper annular end sealing surface 34 and a lower such surface 36. Tubes 24 differ from those described in said application in that each tube 24 has a single effective inside diameter of 1.625", without the internal ribs described in that application.

In operation, adapter 10 is slipped over spindle 14 into the position shown in FIG. 1. Tubes 24 are then loaded over the adapter, either manually or automatically. Wires 20 serve to center tubes 24 so that surfaces 34, 36 of adjacent tubes line up and provide a seal between tubes, while at the same time permitting sufficient flow of dye between the tubes and spindle 14 to make possible an acceptable dyeing process.

In FIG. 4 adapter 10a is a coil spring which is slipped over spindle 14 and held in place by small diameter end coil 40. The outermost surfaces of the spring coils are tangent to an imaginary cylinder of diameter about 1.5625". Use with dye tubes 24 is as described for the embodiment of FIGS. 13.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adapter for a dyeing spindle for receiving a stack of dye tubes, each said tube having end sealing surfaces and an inside diameter sufficiently larger than the outside diameter of said spindle to allow effective fiow of dye between said spindle and said tubes, said adapter comprising at least one member having a length greater than the length of a said tube, a thickness slightly less than half the difference between said diameters, and a surface area per unit length sufficiently less than that of an imaginary cylinder coincident with the outer surface of said spindle so as not to impede said flow to a degree that would be unacceptable for the dyeing process.

2. The adapter of claim 1 wherein said member is a wire less than about /4" in diameter.

3. The adapter of claim 1 wherein there are at least three said members spaced circularly,

4. The adapter of claim 3 wherein said three members are spaced 120 from each other.

5. The adapter of claim 3 wherein said three members are wires each less than about A in diameter.

6. The adapter of claim 3 further comprising a pair of rings between which said members extend, one of said rings having a diameter smaller than that of a portion of said spindle, whereby said portion is adapted to support said adapter.

7. The adapter of claim 6 wherein each said member is a wire less than about A" in diameter, said one ring is 4 less than 1.3" in diameter, and said members have effective lengths of at least 20".

8. The adapter of claim 1 comprising a coil spring.

9. The adapter of claim 8 wherein said spring has at least one coil smaller in diameter than a portion of said spindle, whereby .said portion is adapted to support said adapter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 996,761 7/1911 Hebden et al. 68198X 1,151,916 8/1915 Wood 68189 2,640,341 6/1953 Russell 68l98 WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner 

